Pages

November 9, 2011

Stories of the Jungle – I: Morning Walk in SGNP

I intend to write a
series on my jungle adventures... let’s see how it goes.

Fresh in the memory is the SGNP (short for Sanjay Gandhi
National Park) located close to my house and probably the only forest I’ve been
to in the recent years. Also, the photos of this place are in digital format
and handy. So I’ll begin here. The real jungle stories will take some memory
digs and time. So those will come later.

SGNP is the place where I go for my morning walks (sometimes
;)). Sonali, my good ol' buddy and partner-in-walk has been kind enough and consistent in waking
me up early to experience these ‘good times’. All my morning visits to SGNP are
attributed to her.

One walk in the woods and it tells you volumes – about the
flora and fauna of course, but also about people, the trends, habits of the junta, the age miracles (and the age
gaps!) to mention a few. SGNP has long been a favourite morning walk place for
thousands of Mumbaikars. It’s within the city and so away from it... the gate
of SGNP at Borivali is one of the busiest and noisiest places even at 6 AM. But
a few feet inside and the world changes!

This is what it looks like...

The soft morning light through the thicket of the trees
gives it a heavenly feel. And makes you pat your back for coming there in the
first place. Of course, walkers usually miss out on the aesthetics and
concentrate on the ‘walk’ but I guess its OK to stop once in a while to simply
appreciate the nature around and drown in it.

The scene is even more heavenly during the monsoons. Here’s
a look...

It’s criminal to even think of not wanting to be here...
or not like this place for that matter. There are several reasons though why
you would not like this place. It is crowded, for one, especially towards the
entrance. And noisy, too! It is appalling to walk past people playing music
loudly on their mobile phones. God! Why can’t they use earphones?

It is interesting, however, to see the range of what
people listen to while on their walk. The audio devices play everything right
from the jumpy Bollywood numbers to the really old Hindi songs to the Angrezi
beats for the new blood and even the news. But a young man, probably in his
mid-30s, listening to Narendra Modi’s talk was by far the best. Yes, listening
to Modi’s talks can be inspiring, but on the morning walk... was amusing,
though I appreciate it.

Another noisy lot are the college students who run a havoc to the point of
‘sustained irritation’. But there is no telling them. The cleaners
occassionally yell at them but it all falls on deaf ears. And then there are
the romantic spots for the newly-in-love couples. Hardly any cover there but it
provides more privacy than the main roads albeit marginally.

The lovely canopy near the safari office was home to some
really lovely birds till a few months ago. Was? Yes, unfortunately. The SGNP
establishment has now put up tents there to encourage people to come and spend
some time in the forest, learn and etcetera. This may be a good idea but it has
driven away the birds. And the deer too! Yes, even the deer are not to be seen
anywhere. How we miss them!

The most hated part of the SGNP is the lion and tiger
safari – pathetic to no end! An old, sick white tiger is the first one we see. It
is clear in one look that our presence is not appreciated in the wilderness at
all. And
basically, this is not a natural habitat for a white tiger. So you can’t really
expect the poor white tiger to be ‘happy’ and ‘content’.

Next door is
a tigress with two cubs. Pity overflowing... the cubs shall be given ready
food. No hunting, no choice of meat, nothing. A few feet ahead are Mr. and Mrs.
Lion - the male doesn’t care to come out of his enclosure while the female shows
up with an angry growl, every cell of her body desisting human presence.

To add to their woes, the big cats are confined to their cages
and ...uhh... rooms! There is a sense of deep anger that emerges towards the
parents of those kids who yell like hell when they see the cats.

Okay I am depressed now. Hope tomorrow’s walk with bring
some good feel. I think I’ll just stick to the trees and the insects and
caterpillars and the likewise. Big cats make me sad.

As for you, my friend, keep looking up this space for
more jungle stories... Adios!

3 comments:

Good job Trupti :) I guess we never really thought of going to the safari again,, have we? Liked your expressions on the pitiful state of the animals. Guess we need some divine intervention to protect & flourish the magnificient cats :)

This is good Trupti,...Mumbaikars do need such fresh burst of fauna & flora around them described like this..... more so with concrete superstructures eroding the jungles & taking away the nature's jingles!!!....looking forward to more such stories ahead......